Patience is a rare currency in NBA training camps. Yet, at HSS Training Center in Sunset Park, the Brooklyn Nets have plenty of it when it comes to Mikel Brown Jr.

The sixth overall pick rolled his left ankle working out before the start of camp. On Media Day, Sean Marks mentioned that he isn’t expecting him to miss “considerable time at all.” That’s a sigh of relief compared to September 2025, when the Nets revealed that eighth overall pick Egor Demin would miss time due to a left plantar fascia tear that at one point had put him in a wheelchair.

As for Brown Jr., it’s becoming obvious the 20-year-old is very eager to get on the floor, but as he continues his recovery, the Nets’ performance team is taking a cautious approach. He has resumed light on-court work, but he hasn’t been cleared for full-contact work as Brooklyn prepares for its preseason opener against Charlotte on Tuesday.

“Yeah, as of right now they’re just telling me you could get back moving a little bit, really just trying to get the strengthening it up back,” Brown said at Thursday’s practice. “I mean, I am back on the court moving. That’s all I’m really worried about right now. I’m just taking it one step at a time.”

For any rookie, the mental adjustment to rehab is often harder than the physical one. The organization hasn’t provided a firm timetable for his debut. Brown Jr. acknowledged the learning curve required to yield to the medical staff – something worth getting used to in Brooklyn.

“I feel like I have no choice but to be patient,” Brown Jr. said. “I want to be out there so bad, but they’ve just been emphasizing to me, ‘Let’s take our time with this stuff and get you back 100 percent,’ which me, I’m trying to play as soon as possible. So really just attacking this rehab, focusing on stuff that I can control.”

The real games don’t begin until October 21 with preseason games beginning next Tuesday and running through October 14. The Nets aren’t going to risk Brown Jr. getting more injured over practice — whether he likes it or not. But this will also be Brooklyn’s second preseason in which its highest-drafted prospect will miss some time in training camp due to injury. Demin played only one preseason game last year.

“I mean, that’s up to the performance staff,” Brown said when asked if he expects to play in the preseason. “I’m just doing what I can to get back on the court as of right now.”

Keon Ellis Stock Rising Early in Camp

While Brown’s on-court debut is on pause, another backcourt piece is making noise. Keon Ellis has turned heads early in training camp with his defensive intensity and perimeter shooting. When asked which teammate has made the strongest impression during the opening slate of practices, veteran forward Michael Porter Jr. didn’t hesitate.

“Keon has been hooping these first [few] days,” Porter Jr. noted. “He plays the right way. He plays defense. He can really shoot the ball, and he’s been just overall very solid.”

Ellis, known for his relentless point-of-attack defense and efficient floor-spacing, provides the exact operational pace head coach Jordi Fernández is preaching: quick choices, defensive versatility, and zero wasted motion.

Day’Ron plans to pace himself

Day’Ron Sharpe cemented his status as one of the league’s top rebounders — on average — last season. As Brian Lewis wrote Thursday.

Over his career, Sharpe has averaged 18.7 rebounds per 100 possessions, including a staggering 8.3 on the offensive end. The latter figure would rank second best in league history, per Basketball Reference.

But he didn’t play a lot of minutes, coming off the bench for Nic Claxton playing a total of 1,160 minutes on the season. Now, though, the Nets are penciling in the 24-year-old as a starter. So that means for the first time in his five year NBA career, he’ll be pacing himself. He says he understands the challenge.

“I feel like I played against starters last year as well,” Sharpe said. “Sometimes, when I would come in the game, they would put the more physical guy in the game to deal with me. So just do my thing, just keep playing hard.

“And even if it’s double the minutes, learn how to pace myself during the game, learning what opportunities to take [to avoid] getting in foul trouble, saving myself for later on in the game. But I’m just going to play hard until the wheels fall off. That’s all I can do.

“I don’t really look at it how many minutes I’m playing. I look at it more so just stints. So I probably get more stints of me getting in the game. Last year, it was two stints coming off the bench where I play 10 minutes at a time. So I really don’t look at it like that. I’m just trying to win. So when the whistle starts, when the game starts and it’s time to play, I’m playing. When the game’s over, game over.”

At the moment, Brooklyn has one certified back-up big in Moe Wagner and Noah Clowney could also see minutes as a “small ball” 5. But the job will be Sharpe’s to begin the season, barring a big surprise. And he’ll have all the incentive in the world. His two-year, $20 million deal has a team option.

Closing Out The Work Week

Fernández shifted the team’s workload on Thursday, making it a non-contact practice.

“When you’re tired, you can lose it easily,” Fernández explained. “And [Thursday] being a non-contact session and a session that it’s more mental with the film and the walk-throughs and installing new things, your brain needs to be there. It was very positive like an active recovery where you still need to advance… It was a great day. And then [Friday], it’s going to be a big high-load game day with a lot of playing. And players, they love to play, so they’re excited about tomorrow.”

The fast-paced scrimmages have also served as a testing ground for lineup experimenting. Interestingly, Fernández has kept veteran forwards Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle on opposite sides during scrimmages, using the early portion of camp to evaluate different lineups.

With Charlotte coming to town next week, Brooklyn’s mix of developmental patience and physical evaluation is officially underway.

Mikel Brown Jr. has no timetable as Nets prioritize full recovery – Brian Lewis – New York PostNets’ new starter Day’Ron Sharpe looks to pace himself while keeping his edge – Brian Lewis – New York Post